2016 Nissan LEAF May Get 25% Bigger Battery, 105 Mile Range

We’re now almost halfway through 2015, but we haven’t heard all that much regarding to second-generation Nissan LEAF, and we may not for some time. According to InsideEVs though, the current-generation Nissan LEAF could get a 30 kWh battery pack on high-end models, offering up to 105 miles of driving range per charge.

InsideEVs cites two unspecified dealerships as confirming that this fall, the 2016 Nissan LEAF will come to market with a 30 kWh battery, which is 25% larger than the 24 kWh pack currently used. This battery will up driving range to as much as 105 miles per charge on the EPA testing method, up from just 73 miles right now. The base model S trim will still have the 24 kWh pack, but the SV and SL packages will benefit not just from the 6.6 kw fast charger, but the bigger battery as well, and SL trims have a CHaDEMO quick-charge port as well.

With 105 miles per charge, the 2016 Nissan LEAF would have the most driving range of any EV not built by Tesla Motors, and hopefully help Nissan boost slipping sales. While 2014 was a watershed year for LEAF sales, 2015 has is off to a much slower start thanks to new competitors like the 2016 Chevy Volt, BMW i3, and Kia Soul EV. There are also other implications of this move though.

Generally speaking, automakers don’t make big upgrades like this if a vehicle is nearing replacement soon. While many had assumed that the 2016 Nissan LEAF would be the last before the next-gen debuted, what if this move is meant to extend the production lifecycle of the current model? The next-gen LEAF may not be ready for its big debut, prompting Nissan to offer this placeholder upgrade instead. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has gone on the record as saying the next LEAF will offer at least 150 miles of range per charge, and maybe up to 250. But if the replacement model isn’t ready yet, then Nissan may have to stretch the first-generation’s life longer than intended.

On the other hand, perhaps Nissan is merely testing the waters and seeing how consumers respond to having battery size options. Tesla has offered this option from the get-go, and maybe Nissan is moving away from its one-battery-fits-all philosophy.

I will say this; a 105 mile driving range for the LEAF makes it a much more tempting, and practical, transportation solution. I’d wager I could do 99% of my daily driving with 105 miles of driving range at my disposal. Could you?

Electric Cars Proving Increasingly Popular With Customizers

Electric cars may not have broken into the mainstream yet, but increasingly aftermarket parts customizers are taking to vehicles like the BMW i3 as a way to showcase their wares. IND Distribution is the latest to add a bit of custom flair to the BMW i3, though they’re certainly not the first. Are electric cars the hottest new accessory in the automotive aftermarket?

It’s certainly starting to look that way. While IND Distribution really only added some bright blue HRE wheels and took some nice pictures, other shops have gone to greater lengths to distinguish their take on the i3. Some Japanese customizers even went so far as to build a kit out of carbon fiber, like the i3 itself. It’s part of a small but growing trend in the automotive aftermarket feeding an appetite for customized electric cars.

It’s not just the BMW i3 that’s getting custom parts. The Tesla Model S has proven popular with the customization crowd, with companies like Unplugged Performance popping up to offer Tesla owners a way to really make their cars stand out. Famed Mustang tuner Saleen Automotive also offers a kit for the Tesla Model S, as does Germany’s LARTE Design, which tends to focus more exclusively on high-end exotics.

Not to feel left out, tuners have also taken to the BMW i8 supercar with gusto, from wheels to wraps to whole body kits, because $$$$. There’s even a NISMO body kit for the Nissan LEAF that offers a (very) mild range and performance increase.

I’ve also noticed that bright blue and white seems popular with EV customizers. I don’t mind it, but there are other colors out there guys. I’m partial to shades of green myself.

Why so much interest in a market segment that is still so small? For one, electric vehicles get a lot of play in the media these days for a multitude of reasons. Just about anything with “Tesla” in the headline is all but guaranteed to get a decent amount of pageviews (trust me on that one). There’s a lot of hubbub around electric vehicles these days, from how they drive, and whether they’re practical to just how beneficial they are for the environment.

You also have to consider the kind of person that is buying an electric car these days. Generally speaking, EV buyers are younger and wealthier than buyers of a combustion-powered equivalent vehicle. They may not be “car enthusiasts” in the traditional sense, but the kind of early adopter willing to invest five-figures into what amounts to first-gen technology is probably more emotionally attached to their vehicle than the average Lexus driver.

While mas acceptance of electric cars may still be a few years away, there are plenty of enthusiasts and companies that are already way ahead of the curve.

Commercial EV Sales Could Exceed 800,000 By 2023

Sales of electric cars have never been higher, at least among passenger car sales. Commercial vehicle buyers have been much slower to join the EV hype train though, citing high costs and limited range as the main barrier. Despite this, Navigant Research believes that by 2023 commercial plug-in hybrid and EV sales could exceed 800,000 total sales, as fleet managers and automakers respond to government mandates.

According to Navigant, advances in battery technology and decreases in charging time and costs will make electric vehicles more and more appealing, especially as government mandates push for higher efficiency.This will lead to a tenfold increase in sales, from less than 16,000 in 2014 to over 160,000 in the year 2023. While pure electric buses are sure to play a bigger and bigger role in mass transit, Navigant thinks plug-in hybrids might see the biggest gains.

“Electric hybrid vehicles are now being used in commercial applications where the improved technology offers major benefits for specific drive cycles that involve city driving in stop-start traffic,” says the Navigant report. “Plug-in vehicles are being developed for niche applications that can use onboard electrical energy to replace idling diesel engines or provide temporary power to buildings or tools at remote sites. Low-emissions zones in cities are being introduced that will result in greater demand for vehicles that can be driven in electric-only mode.”

The report seems to focus mostly on the impact of plug-in hybrids, which can drive a limited distance on just electricity. While plug-in hybrid commercial vehicles certainly make a lot of sense, the next-generation of EVs should have enough range to make daily urban deliveries with overnight charging. The Nissan e-NV200 only has 80 miles of range right now, but if the next-gen LEAF can double that driving range per charge, Nissan’s small delivery van ought to benefit too.

There are still challenges to overcome, and not just of the technological kind. The people in charge of buying fleets of vehicles have to be convinced of their economic benefits before taking the plunge, and the first go-around at commercial plug-ins didn’t go too hot. Companies like Smith Electric were able to find buyers to keep the dream alive, but other entrants into the plug-in vehicle market have fallen by the wayside as their ideas didn’t pan out. It may take more enticing by governments like France to get more commercial EVs on the road.

Things definitely seem different the second time around, and if gas prices spike again, that could be all it takes to convince fleet managers to take the plug-in plunge.

Longer Range 2016 Nissan LEAF Coming This Fall? Most Likey...

Longer Range Option Coming For 2016 Nissan LEAF? We Think So. Here Is Why

We have heard a lot about other automakers’ bold new visions for future, longer range electric cars recently.  The Tesla Model 3, GM’s Chevrolet Bolt, any number of German press releases – but little from the company who has almost produced 200,000 LEAFs.

In fact, Nissan has been eerily quiet all year while other OEMs have touted future products.  Which has lead many to question the company. “Has Nissan dropped the ball and fallen behind the other EV makers?”

We think this is highly unlikely.  In fact, we think all the data is pointing to Nissan surprising the market and announcing a longer range option for the LEAF this fall in the United States.

Here are our top three reasons to believe Nissan has something up its sleeve for the 2016 model year, which first arrives fall.

Nissan LEAF Production

After back-to-back years of approximately 8 months worth of production for the 2013 and 2014 Nissan LEAF, the current 2015 model year car is uncharacteristically planned to run almost 18 months (April 2014 – September 2015) before the 2016 edition starts to land at dealers in October.

Nissan 2013-2016 LEAF Production Timelines (aprox)

So, why the unnecessarily long wait?

Also, one has to note that the next generation, longer range LEAF is tentatively scheduled to arrive in Q2 2017 according to the company, which is just after Nissan’s current “Power 88″ 5 year plan ends in Q1 of 2017.

This means there will likely be no 2017 model year LEAF, but a new 2018 model debuting sometime around April/May of 2017.  Therefore, an unchanged 2016 version would have to soldier on a torturous 18 months – all while facing the introduction of the 200 mile Chevrolet Bolt and into the reported introduction year of the Tesla Model 3, not to mention the other 22 plug-in models that have been announced to arrive before 2017 ends.

Nissan’s Executive Vice-President & Planning Boss Said So

Nissan’s Head Product Planner, And Ghosn’s Right Hand Man, Andy Palmer Said So

When close to a next generational launch (within 6-12 months or so), car executives clam-up until the last possible moment, so as not to bastardize current gen sales.

Need proof of this in the real world?  GM hardly said anything about the next generation 2016 Chevrolet Volt (details) until it hit the stand at the biggest auto show venue in the world this past January in Detroit at the NAIAS – just four months before production ended on gen 1.

Yet the 200 mile 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV (details) which stands to really damage nothing in GM’s present stable, also debuted at the exact same show, almost 2 years ahead of its arrival.

However, when a product is still several years out, auto executives can’t help but divulge “future-tense” details.

Enter Ex-Nissan VP of Product Planning  Andy Palmer almost two years at the Frankfurt Auto Show (who recently left the company last September to take over the top job at Aston Martin) who casually said at the time:

“For sure within the current model cycle,” when commenting on a real world, ‘reliable’ 200 km (124 mile) range, “the LEAF was introduced in 2010 and is expected to have a six-year life…We can do 200 kilometers now (2013). But it’s a cost balance. You can go to bigger batteries, that is relatively easy, but the more interesting stuff is the changing of the chemistry to get more kW hours out of the same packaging space.”

The 2016 model year LEAF will be the last full year of production, and it only makes sense to offer longer range batteries in the same package before switching to full production of the next generation car.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn Said So

Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn Said In March That “Something MUCH More Competitive” Is Inside A Year

The most common place that new knowledge slips out of an automaker is from the lips of the boss – most notably after a long day at an auto or trade show.

This year (March 2015) from the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Carlos Ghosn said the following on range autonomy on the LEAF, answering a question about delivering more battery life than will enable people to travel and transport longer.

“First you are going to see evolution of the autonomy.  Today the autonomy is between 100 to 115 miles (NEDC rating of various model year LEAFs range from 109 to 120 miles currently in Europe).  You are going to more than double this…we are going to, and others also, because we know, we follow all the technology developed by some of the suppliers.” 

The CEO adds that also “like any new technology the costs are going down, because there is much more efficiency, much more supply base moving in.  So I’m much more optimistic that we are going to get to something much more competitive in the next year to come.”

Conclusion

Putting all the data points together, we think that a longer range option for the current generation, 2016 Nissan LEAF, first arriving this October/November is a very strong possibility.

In Theory, Nissan’s Current Generation LEAF Battery Pack Could House As Much As 38 kWh OF Next Gen Cells

Add in the fact the CEO also recently said at the New York Auto Show last month that Nissan has high upcoming sales expectations for the LEAF (despite selling just over 30,000 copies in 2014)

“…selling 50,000 EVs in North America should not be, in my opinion, a task which is beyond our capacity”

With an already slow start to this year’s LEAF sales, and the additional sales pressure that will be applied by the 2016 Chevrolet Volt PHEV (and its 50 miles of all-electric range) in September, we see no way this 50k level could possibly be achieved until at least 2018, that is, at least without a range increase (or significant price cut) on the 2016 model.

Given the density of the next generation cells that Nissan (and LG Chem) are expected to produce, the current 24 kWh pack could be expanded to as much as 36-38 kWh without any significant modifications needed.  That would mean a theoretical limit of about 120-130 miles…or just about bang on to what Nissan promised was coming years ago.

So, is Nissan hiding in the weeds right now?   Are they waiting as long as they can, in order to sell as many 2015 LEAFs with 84 miles of range, before surprising the market?  Or has the industry leader with 4 LEAF-platform production facilities around the world, and more than $5 billion invested in the car, actually been caught flat-footed and is being passed by the other players?

Source: Inside EV's

With Better Charging Network, Nissan LEAF Could Sell 50,000 Units per Year

In 2014 sales of the Nissan LEAF electric car exceeded 30,000 units in the U.S. for the first time, crossing an important milestone for mass adoption of EVs. But Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn wants to sell a lot more LEAFs than that, and he revealed to Automotive News that he thinks the LEAF could do it, but only if it has a better charging network to support it.

“Selling 50,000 EVs in North America should not be, in my opinion, a task which is beyond our capacity,” Ghosn told AN. “I feel very good about the capacity we have today.” He went on to say that without enough of a charging infrastructure, development of the electric car market is going to be low and slow. The countries with the best charging infrastructures will see “a big burst” of sales from zero-emissions vehicles.

The success of Tesla Motors and its network of more than 2,000 fast-and-free Superchargers seems to back Ghosn’s assertion, but Nissan is doing more than whining. The automaker has partnered with companies like Chargepoint, evGo, and Blink to provide LEAF buyers free access to established charging networks. Nissan has also added more than 500 CHAdeMO fast-chargers that provide an 80% charge in as little as 30 minutes, but it hasn’t been enough to stimulate LEAF sales to hoped-for levels.

The new Nissan LEAF could have a range of 150+ miles per charge, and if the automaker establishes a larger, nationwide network of fast and free chargers similar to the Tesla Supercharger network, I don’t see why LEAF sales couldn’t easily exceed 50,000 units per year or more. Then again, there was a time when Ghosn was boasting that Nissan could sell 150,000 LEAFs per year, within a few years of launch. 50,000 seems like a much-more doable number, but it’d still mean almost doubling sales from 2014.

At the current sales pace, the LEAF might not even do half that number in 2015 as enthusiasts await the much-anticpated debut of the new Nissan EV. 50,000 sales might still be a few years out.

Norway Electric Car Sales At Nearly 26% Market Share In March!

Number of registrations of new all-electric passenger cars in Norway – March 2015

Volkswagen e-Golf

Norway set a new plug-in car sales record in March reaching 23.4% market share for BEVs and almost 2.5% PHEVs, which in total gives it some 25.9% among new passenger cars!

This is more than one per four new registrations!

The exact number of registrations is 3,391 for BEVs and 357 for PHEVs. 3,748 total. All-electric cars are more favorable due mostly to incentives.

Official data states other categories like 73 new electric delivery vans and some 320 used imported passenger electric cars plus 1 used imported electric van.

Besides 25.9% new plug-in cars, there were some 7% non-rechargable hybrids too.

For March, we can take a look at the table with numbers of registrations  for particular models provided by elbil.no via OFV.

Most registrations last month belonged to the Tesla Model S – 1,140, but Volkswagen e-Golf with 956 was not far behind and leads the YTD rank. 2,672 e-Golfs out of 7,202 BEVs makes it above one-third of the EV-pie share so far this year.

Almost 68% of all new Golfs, which is the best selling car in Norway, are e-Golfs. Tesla Model S is in the second place after three months of 2015 with share of 8.1% in March and 4.3% in the quarter.

Nissan LEAF had 526 registrations in March, which is more than a year ago, although far short of e-Golf. Despite this, the LEAF is the fifth best selling car in Norway with share of 3.7% in March and 3.1% YTD.

In fourth among EVs we see the Volkswagen e-up! (sales down from last year) at 162 last month and 485 YTD.

Renault ZOE shines with a new record of it own with 228 registrations – enough to overtake BMW i3 in YTD standings – 361 vs. 336. Similar level of sales we can see for Audi A3 e-tron – 369 YTD and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – 356 YTD.

Number of registrations of new all-electric passenger cars in Norway – March 2015 (source: elbil.no)

Number of registrations of new plug-in hybrid passenger cars in Norway – March 2015 (source: elbil.no)

Will The Next Nissan LEAF Look Like The Sway Concept?

Though a new Nissan LEAF is due out sometime this year, CEO Carlos Ghosn has said not to expect any teasers or details anytime soon. What little information we do have on the next LEAF is nearly a year old, though the new Nissan Sway Concept does remind me of a rendering purporting to show the look of the new LEAF.

Last year, AutoExpress put out renderings of what it claims was the new look of the next Nissan LEAF, which is going in a decidedly more conventional, and yet at the same time upscale look and feel. That’s the same notion behind the Nissan Sway concept, a new compact hatchback aimed at European sensibilities, and those of Millennials as well. The Sway looks strong yet techie, and comes with premium features like a glass roof and a dash-based table-like console above traditional, mechanical knobs and dials.

While the Sway Concept and the Nissan LEAF were never mentioned in the same breath by Nissan execs, there’s little doubt that this design will influence the next-gen EV. There’s also been plenty of talk surrounding a much longer range, which could be anywhere from 150 to 250 miles per charge, and Nissan has questioned current owners how much more they would pay for the ability to go twice as far per charge.

Just how much impact can looks have on a car’s success though? One need look no further than the very sexy, yet very conventional-looking Tesla Model S to see that people don’t need a funky-looking EV. They may even prefer a normal-looking car that happens to be electric. the same way many hybrids have been integrated into existing models, rather than a standalone platform (the Toyota Prius and Ford C-Max being exceptions).

From my perspective, the Nissan Sway looks good, better than the LEAF (though opinions may vary), and automakers are right to want to make EVs look as “normal” as possible. While the driving habits of electric car owners do change, like most of us, EVs just want to sort of…blend in. If you catch a glimpse and happen to know that car is electric, cool. And if not? Even cooler.

That’s the whole point.

2016 Mitsubishi i-MiEV Coming In March

Most people don’t realize there was no Mitsubishi i-MiEV in 2015. There wasn’t one in 2013 either. The car has gotten very little attention from the parent company, even though it is the lowest priced pure battery car sold in America.

Whether the car is not up to expectations or whether Mitsubishi has failed to market it effectively, the fact remains that less than 2000 of them have been sold since it went on sale here in the US. During that same period, Nissan has found more than 72,000 buyers for its all electric LEAF.

One of the reasons for that is the car’s short range. The most it can manage on a clear day with a tail wind is 62 miles from its tiny 16 kWh battery. For those who don’t have far to go, it is the perfect commuter car and most of its owners are quite happy with their i-MiEV’s. But for most folks, it just doesn’t have enough range for their needs.

Has Mitsubishi learned anything from its 4 years of on again, off again experience with the i-MiEV? Apparently not, or not much, at any rate. The 2016 model features the same 16 kWh battery and the same 62 miles of range. The company did add DC fast charging capability to the 2014 car and has fiddled with the mix of interior options like seat heaters and cruise control, but for all practical purposes, the new car will be indistinguishable from the old car.

Mitsubishi has always had a love/hate relationship with America. Even though it builds good cars, their reputation for reliability has never equalled that of Honda, Toyota and Nissan. Most of that has less to do with the products and more to do with its ragtag dealer network which has been frankly awful for decades. While the latest plug in Outlander has been selling well in Europe and Asia, it has been kept off the American market for 3 years while Mitsubishi executives dithered.

If you need a low priced battery electric with only 60 miles of range, the i-MiEV is a real car that offers real value. Check it out soon at your local Mitsubishi dealer — if you can find one.

Mahindra Will Sell Reva e20 Electric Car In Europe

America, Europe, and Japan have led the way in building and buying electric vehicles, though China has been making a push towards electrification as well. Could India be a player in the global electric car world as well? Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra thinks so, as it wants to sell its Reva e20 compact electric car to Europeans, says the International Business Times.

Mahindra has had its eyes on expanding beyond India for awhile now, including a failed attempt to import a diesel-powered compact pickup to the U.S. Mahindra also attempted to become a major player in India’s basically non-existent EV market, and though the country pledged to put some 7 million EVs on its roads by the end of the 2020, annual sales of the Reva have been around 1,000 cars.

Mahindra’s response has been to slash the price of the Reva for Indian customers, and try to recoup its investment on the Reva by importing it to Europe. Europeans are turning to electric cars in greater and greater numbers, and while the Reva is sold in some 24 other minor markets, Europe has the money to make it a success. The key to its success will be an extremely low cost compared to EVs like the Nissan LEAF, which can go 84 miles per charge to the Reva’s approximately 62 to 75 miles.

However, the Reva costs just $11,900 to $16,000, even when equipped with features like smartphone capability and GPS, which is about one-third of what a Nissan LEAF sells for after incentives in many European countries. The Reva e20 could end undercutting even the Renault Twizy, while offering a number of luxury features (like doors) that the French runabout doesn’t have.

Of course if it doesn’t happen, that wouldn’t be any surprise either. The Tata Nano was supposed to be imported to Europe and America by now, but like the aforementioned Mahindra pickup, it just didn’t happen. Will the Mahindra Reva e20 be the first Indian car to find success in a market dominated by the traditional auto industry? Or is it just another false start?

More Charging Stations Than Gas Stations In Japan

The establishment of an infrastructure to support electric and plug in cars is proceeding rapidly in Japan. According to Bloomberg News, Nissan says there are now 40,000 public and private charging stations in Japan versus only 34,000 gas stations.

The availability of charging stations is an important factor for buyers considering an electric or plug in car. Knowing there are all those stations out there is very comforting for new EV owners still beset by range anxiety. “An important element of the continued market growth is the development of the charging infrastructure,” Joseph G. Peter, Nissan chief financial officer, told analysts on a conference call.

Electric car support services are also emerging. Charging networks like ChargePoint and Tesla have apps that tell drivers where the nearest available charge point is. Those apps interface with GPS to offer drivers turn by turn driving instructions, too.

In the US, new charging stations are being planned. Volkswagen and BMW recently announced a joint campaign with ChargePoint to build 100 fast charger stations along major east coast transportation routes. In Kansas City, Great Plains Energy plans to install 1000 chargers by the end of 2015. Those facilities will be free for all users for the first two years. In California, Pacific Gas & Electric says it will add 25,000 charging stations over the next 5 years. That’s a huge increase in a state that presently has only 3000 chargers total.

The more charging locations there are, the more quickly electric vehicles will move into the mainstream of America’s transportation system.

Nissan LEAF Wins IHS Automotive Loyalty Award

One of the key marks of a great car is customer loyalty, as happy buyers are more likely to come back for their next vehicle. The Nissan LEAF was awarded the IHS Automotive Automotive Loyalty Award for non-luxury compact cars, and it was the only plug-in car on the extensive list, beating out even the Tesla Model S.

While the Model S has ranked highly with Consumer Reports for customer satisfaction, the Nissan LEAF has commanded even better loyalty from its legions of buyers. Though the improvements to the LEAF since its 2010 debut have been relatively few, it has become the best-selling electric car in America as EV evangelists spread the good word.

“Since entering the market in 2010, the Nissan LEAF has steadily gained supporters throughout the U.S.,” said Toby Perry, director of marketing for Nissan LEAF. “While the majority of original buyers were electric vehicle enthusiasts, we’re now seeing more and more ‘regular’ car buyers fall in love with LEAF because of its many financial benefits, fun-to-drive nature and roomy interior. Our LEAF fans are some of the most loyal customers in the world, and we’re thrilled to see that validated with this IHS award.”

In fact, 2014 was the best year of sales for the LEAF yet, with over 30,000 of the compact EVs finding new homes despite the fact that it’s approaching five years old. A new LEAF is slated to debut sometime in 2015, and could offer anywhere from 150 to 250 miles of range per charge, rivaling both the Tesla Model III and the Chevy Bolt.

Ironically, LEAF owners in Europe actually drive farther than conventional car drivers, as they’re far less concerned with “fuel” prices. Insurance and maintenance costs are lower too, and the bevy of government incentives makes Is it any wonder that the Nissan LEAF has some of the most loyal customers in the auto industry?

Source: Gas2

January EV Sales Rise In US Despite Pressure From Next Gen Cars. Tesla, Nissan Stay Strong

The Next Generation 2016 Chevrolet Volt (show here in LTZ Siren Red Tintcoat Trim) Has Caused 2015 Model Year Sales To Plummet

Despite some significant downward pressure on two of America’s most popular plug-in models in January, EV sales still rose almost 7% thanks to some strong performances found elsewhere in the segment.

During the month, only Tesla and Nissan remained in “4 digits” for sales as the seasonal pullback (due to weather/tax implications of the $7,500 credit) and pressure from future EV offerings pushed the results lower compared to December.

Overall, an estimated 5,924 plug-ins were bought in January, as compared to the 5,550 sold a year ago.  And while this is not a significant increase (6.7%) overall, and is certainly trailing the23% improvement in 2014, this month’s number can only be considered a success.

Both the Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Prius PHV, with new generational offerings arriving in the second half of this year, have seen their numbers plummet, as their parent companies have basically stopped producing (and marketing) the current models.

Inventories of significance for 2015 Volt and Prius have virtually dried up…guaranteeing their numbers will disappoint from here on out..

The Chevrolet Volt set a new multi-year low with just 542 cars sold in January (full story here), while the Prius PHV sold just 401 – its second worst result since debuting in February of 2012.  For the Chevy, national inventories of the 2015 model have to dipped to around 2,000 units, while the Prius PHV has sunk below 1,000.  These are two cars that both sold north of 2,500 cars in a month at times in 2014.

The 2016 Chevrolet Volt is expected to launch in September of this year, while the 2016 Prius PHV – of which Toyota Managing Officer Satoshi Ogiso says is being developed “in parallel” with the standard next gen Prius, has had release expectations pushed back a couple times, and is now not expected until December.

“Cootie” Carrying 2015 Toyota Prius PHV

Also of interest for the month, the BMW i3 took over as the 3rd best selling plug-in for America in January - a spot that has been exclusively held by just 4 models before today (Volt, LEAF, Model S Prius PHV).

Nissan’s result of 1,070 LEAFs sold in December was actually lower as well compared to  a year ago when 1,252 were sold (full storyhere).  Nissan pointed to sales being “pulled ahead” into December due to higher demand from state and federal incentives.  Nissan sold more than 3,100 LEAFs during the last month of 2014.

Heading into February, the Tesla Model S sits as the top sellingcar in America, as we estimated 1,100 EVs were delivered in January, just edging out the LEAF by 30 units.  This is also thesecond consecutive month the Model S was the best selling car in the United States.

We should note that January’s narrow “win” for Tesla was largely a by-product of the company having some trouble delivering its new P85D Model S sedans in the northern United States and into Canada over the Holiday season as they had planned.  This 1-2 week delay in shipping product meant that Tesla experienced the exact opposite of Nissan’s situation – December sales became January sales.

Graph (below): Check out the reshuffling of the plug-in sales deck for 2015!  Also, check out our full “Sales Scorecard” for a recap of each specific model sold in the US in January.

2015 Monthly Sales Chart For The Major Plug-In Automakers *Estimated Tesla NA Sales Numbers – Reconciled on Quarterly Totals

Some Other Points Of Interest For December 2014:

BMW i3 At CCS Fast Charger Sucking Down Some Electrons In January (Image Credit Michael Beinenson/InsideEVs)

Top Manufacturers Of Plug-In Vehicles:

1. Tesla Motors – 1,100*
2. Nissan – 1,070
3. Ford – 906
4. BMW – 755
5. General Motors – 720

Pure Electric Car Market Share vs PHEV In October*

1. BEV – 3,375 – 57%
2. PHEV – 2,549– 43%

New 12 Month Highs Set In January (previous high in brackets):

• Porsche Cayenne S e-Hybrid – 83 (55) – all time high

Looking ahead:  February will definitely be a comparatively poor month for EV sales, as the 7,190 sold in 2014 is unlikely to be matched…with the opposite being true in March.